Ministry of Women s Affairs Kingdom of Cambodia

Ministry of Women s Affairs Kingdom of Cambodia Nation Religion - King Evaluation of the Women s Leadership Programme of the Ministry of Women s Affairs/UNDP Partnership for Gender Equity Phase ll Kong Vutheary Adam Platt April 2006

Evaluation of the Women s Leadership Programme of the Ministry of Women s Affairs/UNDP Table of Contents Partnership for Gender Equity Phase ll Acronyms and abbreviations Acknowledgements 1 Executive Summary and key Recommendations 5 1.1 Findings 5 1.2 Strategic recommendations 6 1.3 Operational recommendations 7 2 Background and Context 9 2.1 Women s Leadership Programme as a component of the Partnership for Gender Equity. 9 2.2 Contribution to achieving gender goals in Neary Ratanak, Rectangular Strategy, BPFA, CEDAW, NSDP, CMDGs 11 3 Evaluation Method 12 4 Findings 15 4.1 Relevance 15 4.1.1 Contribution to Gender equality and gender mainstreaming 15 4.1.2 Needs of women managers 15 4.1.3 Needs of Government Ministries and Departments 17 4.1.4 Capacity building in MoWA 19 4.2 Effectiveness 20 4.2.1 Coverage all Ministries 20 4.2.2 Targeting participation of high level women managers 21 4.2.3 Course content of WLP 22 4.2.4 English and computer training 24 4.2.5 Course delivery and organisation 26 4.2.6 Empowerment and transformation 27 4.2.7 Women s Empowerment Programme (WEP) 29 4.2.8 Visibility of women leaders 29 4.2.9 Mentoring 30 4.2.10 Alumnae Meetings 31 4.2.11 Study tours 31 4.3 Impact 33 4.3.1 Increased confidence and capacity and application of new skills 33 4.3.2 Fit of training needs to each Ministry s gender mainstreaming position 34 4.3.3 Promotion of women in Ministries 35 4.3.4 Women Civil Servant s Association (WCSA) 36 4.4 Efficiency 36 4.4.1 Cost effectiveness of training compared to other providers 36 4.5 Sustainability 37 4.5.1 WLP Trained Women 37 2

4.5.2 The WLP training course 37 4.5.3 English training 38 4.5.4 Links to other training 38 5 Recommendations 39 5.1.1 Introduction 39 5.2 Institutional 40 5.2.1 Longer term institutional position of PGE capacity building 40 5.2.2 Plan the future of capacity building beyond major donor support 41 5.3 Relevance 41 5.3.1 Targeting 41 5.3.2 Decentralise leadership training to selected Ministries 41 5.3.3 Study Tours 42 5.4 Effectiveness 42 5.4.1 Training needs assessment 42 5.4.2 Develop mentoring and alternative support schemes 42 5.4.3 Target more senior women leaders 43 5.4.4 Training for transformation 43 5.5 Efficiency and Sustainability 44 5.5.1 Diversify and enlarge training provision 44 5.5.2 Monitor and evaluate new phases of WLP 44 5.5.3 Sustainability 44 6 Conclusions 45 7 Annexes 46 7.1 Terms of reference for evaluation 46 7.2 Figures for men, women and women trained for 5 Ministries 48 7.3 Questionnaires-Data from 97 trained officers of 25 institutions 51 7.4 Letter from H E Minister for Women s Affairs 56 7.5 Outline Content of WLP Curriculum (VBNK) 57 7.6 Numbers of participants in evaluation 58 7.7 List of documentation 59 7.8 Training providers comparative costs 60 7.9 Questionnaire and Focus Group/Interview checklist 61 7.10 PGE Project planning 67 Cover photo: Women on PGE/MoWA Study Tour 3

Acronyms and abbreviations ADB Asia Development Bank BPFA Beijing Platform for Action CAR Council for Administrative Reform CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women CMDG Cambodia Millennium Development Goals D & D Decentralisation and Deconcentration (of Local Government) GM Gender Mainstreaming LDP Leadership Development Programme (for HIV/AIDS by NAA/UNDP) LIP Learning Implementation Project M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MAFF Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries MDGs Millennium Development Goals MoI Ministry of Interior MoRD Ministry of Rural Development MoWA Ministry of Women s Affairs NAA National AIDS Authority (Cambodia) NGO Non Government Organisation NPRS National Poverty Reduction Strategy NSDP National Strategic Development Plan (for HIV&AIDS( 2006 2010) NSP National Strategic Plan (HIV&AIDS) l and ll PDWA Provincial Department of Women s Affairs PGE Partnership for Gender Equality PLHA People Living with AIDS RGC Royal Government of Cambodia STF Seila Task Force TA Technical Assistance TNA Training needs assessment UN United Nations UNAIDS UN AIDS coordination agency UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNICEF UN Children s Fund UNIFEM United Nations Development Fund for Women VBNK Cambodian NGO Training provider of WLP WB World Bank WCSA Women s Civil Service Association WEP Women s Empowerment Programme WLP Women s Leadership Programme Acknowledgments While the analysis and recommendations in this report are the responsibility of the authors, we wish to acknowledge and thank the staff of the MoWA PGE team, UNDP, VBNK and other stakeholders who frankly gave their views, opinions and advice. Thanks to the gender focal points in four Ministries who organised Focus Groups with many people. Special thanks to all those in the Ministries and Provincial Departments of MoWA who participated in Focus Groups discussions. We hope that the information they gave us is fairly represented and leads to further improvements in their positions as leaders and managers in the civil service. 4

1 Executive Summary and key Recommendations 1.1 Findings The Partnership for Gender Equity Phase ll (PGE) is a UNDP project executed with the Ministry of Women s Affairs (MoWA). The Project builds the skills of MoWA and key line Ministry staff to carry out their work more effectively in the promotion of gender equity in Cambodia. The PGE also aims to ensure all national policies and programmes are gender responsive. MoWA/PGE contracted the NGO VBNK to deliver WLP from 2003 to 2006, as part of the PGE Phase ll project. A total of 245 women leaders and managers from 24 Government Ministries of the Royal Government of Cambodia have been trained. Training was provided in 11 courses comprising three oneweek modules with intervals of several week between the modules. Added mentoring support was provided to trainees to help them implement learning implementation projects developed during training. The trained women clearly value the WLP course and feel significantly more confident and better equipped to fulfil their roles. A high proportion of women leaders in the MoWA have been trained and all women leaders in Provincial Departments of the Ministry are now trained. In other Ministries, there are few women in leadership positions and the numbers trained by the Women s Leadership Programme per Ministry are still limited between 8 and 27%. Most significant for WLP trained women are the difficulties they find in gaining opportunities to implement their training. This they attribute to the low level of understanding and support provided by their managers and the reluctance of managers to delegate meaningful work to them, to provide them with study opportunities and the tendency to bypass them in promotion exercises. Without a change in culture and behaviour in most Ministries, the value of training provided by the MoWA PGE programme is restricted. The partnership between the WLP trained women (through alumnae meetings), the WLP training provider (the NGO VBNK) and PGE/MoWA has been used to seek ways to develop additional activities to meet the needs of women civil service leaders and managers. These have included English and computer training, study tours, alumnae meetings and a women s empowerment pilot training project. Lessons from this experience now need to be applied in further development of the programme. These include the assessment of the specific training needs of women in different Ministries and positions and the identification of training providers to deliver quality and cost-effective training. Training courses and curriculum can then be closely matched to trainee needs. The impact of training, as well as outputs, requires ongoing assessment and reporting using well defined monitoring and evaluation procedures. 5

Targeting all 24 Ministries has promoted widespread awareness of the need for leadership training for women civil servants and a key impact of the programme has been a proposal by trained women leaders to form a Women s Civil Servants Association. The small number of women so far trained in the Ministries, other than MoWA, limits the impact of the programme on each Ministry. In considering next steps, it is advisable to review the targeting strategy for the programme: the scope of the programme can be narrowed and the impact increased by targeting support to fewer, specific Ministries, such as those making progress with gender mainstreaming, and by selecting trainees from departments in Ministries that can have a significant impact on gender equality in society The recommendations now summarized are drawn from focus groups with over half of the women trained from across all 24 Ministries, plus women and men who have not been trained but manage or work with those who were trained. Answers to questionnaires and the findings and recommendations already provided in a number of gender equity assessments and evaluations also inform the recommendations. 1.2 Strategic recommendations These recommendations propose ways to improve the use of WLP to contribute to meeting the strategic objectives of the Partnership for Gender Equality of MoWA: Target Leadership training strategically Reduce the scope and coverage of leadership support in line with available resources and the strategic Priorities of the MoWA. Build relations with HR departments, gender committees and Department Directors in each Ministry. Use these relationships to agree which Ministries, Departments and their managers should be included in future training for women leaders. Ensure invitations for training activities are made to the agreed priority participants. Strengthen Training and Gender Mainstreaming (GM) links Relate women leadership training to Ministry gender mainstreaming action plans, targets and indicators for achieving gender equity. If resources are limited, target Ministries that have GM action plans, gender committees and support from donors for GM. Use women leadership training to stimulate commitment to gender mainstreaming. Training for transformation and empowerment PGE and its contracted trainers to share WLP experience with the implementers of the UNDP/NAA HIV/AIDS Leadership Development Programme to mutually gain ideas on how to achieve transformation lasting positive changes in attitudes and behaviour - in participative training courses in the specific context of the civil service in Cambodia. Also, discuss with the Council for Administrative Reform World Bank (CAR/WB) training project ways to make their courses transformational for women (and men). 6

Use the reviews (in this report and by VBNK) of the Women s Empowerment Programme (WEP) pilot course experience to assess lessons and decide if, with modifications, the programme can assist in empowering and transforming women leaders in Government. Reaching the most senior women managers Plan and implement a version of WLP that meets the needs and availability of very senior women in government service. Identify high-level instructors or organisations with status and prestige to train top level women leaders. Reconsider using Harvard or a similar international training institution. Lobby Ministers in Ministries to direct their senior women managers to attend leadership and management courses. Discuss further the high level programme planned by the CAR/World Bank project to plan how this can be used to train senior women successfully. Advocate for support for women leadership development Work with parliamentarians to build their understanding of GM and WLP in their legislation work. Support and coordinate implementation of the wide range of recommendations in plans and reports (including this report) for policy change and actions to achieve gender equality in the Government service. Start to decentralise WLP to selected Ministries to improve cost effectiveness and achieve sustainability Develop a pilot project with one or more selected Ministries with capacity and interest to take on leadership and management training for women. Help Ministries identify ways to expand leadership training to women and men managers and provide support to Ministry-based training to develop cost effective and sustainable training models. Monitor progress with the Decentralisation and Deconcentration programme of Government and ensure Ministries provide women managers at Provincial and other local levels with leadership training. Monitor standards and the impact of women s leadership training undertaken for and by Ministries. 1.3 Operational recommendations Course management by MoWA Appoint or delegate responsibility for the coordination and management of the leadership and management training project to a specific PGE staff member, and, when PGE phases out, to a MoWA officer in the Women Decision Making Office of the Gender Equality Department. Ensure this manager has appropriate skills and position to interact with Ministry HR Departments and Department heads in MoWA and other Ministries. Plan the integration of the leadership and management training project into MoWA and define the relationships between MoWA and Ministries, (see recommendation on the decentralisation of leadership and management training to Ministries above). 7

Improve visibility of the ownership of PGE leadership training by MoWA by acknowledging and naming MoWA in all plans, reports, letters of invitation and other communications 1. Designing Training and identifying providers PGE and gender working groups in line ministries to undertake detailed training needs assessments (TNA) and to develop terms of reference for training services. PGE to review availability of training providers through public announcements and invitations to tender. Specific training content and approaches to be developed by PGE in partnership with women leaders and contracted training provider(s). Strengthening training delivery and follow up Strengthen support to trained women by improving the mentoring provided. Improve the selection of mentors by ensuring they are aware of what is expected of them through training and backstopping from PGE when necessary. Provide appropriate training to mentors, recognising that some are high level officers and require appropriate training conditions. Design and support study tours that are relevant to work areas of participants through discussion with women and their managers. Agree ways for study tour participants to feed back experiences to colleagues. Support small teams of trained women within (and across) Ministries to form groups that plan learning implementation projects (LIPs), work together to implement LIPs and provide each other with mutual advice and support, as an addition or alternative to mentoring. Discuss the Women s Civil Servants Association (WCSA) more widely and ensure that women in Ministries understand its aims and agree how local branch and national offices will work with each other. Monitor and evaluate new phases of WLP Establish baselines and develop relevant targets and indicators for each Ministry and link to trainee and course selection. Use Gender Mainstreaming Action Plans and the Gender Groups set up in Ministries to monitor and record progress with gender equity targets. PGE team and gender working groups in line Ministries to follow up trained women within Ministries to evaluate changes in performance and their participation in gender mainstreaming in their Ministries. Support the Women Civil Servants Association develop its capacity to monitor the progress made by women civil servants so the Association can assist in assessing the impact of training on women. Target more senior women leaders and enlist their support in assessing, evaluating and promoting women as leaders. 1 Senior MoWA managers express concern that PGE is not always recognised as a project of the Ministry and request closer identification of PGE as a unit of the Ministry. 8

2 Background and Context 2.1 Women s Leadership Programme 2 as a component of the Partnership for Gender Equity. Women are under represented in leadership and management positions in almost all Government services in Cambodia, especially at higher levels. Women are frequently under valued and given less opportunity to contribute their knowledge and skills. They are passed over for promotion in systems that are still largely based on patronage, and political affiliations. In 2003, the PGE team, with the help of the then Technical Adviser, Elaine McKay, researched a number of options to provide capacity building to women managers in the civil service. Options considered included commissioning Harvard University in the US and three NGOs in Cambodia with training capacity and experience. Of these options, the strongest was the Women s Leadership Programme (WLP) developed by VBNK. WLP was started in 1998 to strengthen the capacity of women managers in NGOs. The programme aimed to provide support and training to women across three modules 3 : Core management skills Organisational management skills Developing professional relationship The content of each module was designed to meet the needs of women managers and was based on extensive needs assessment with women in NGOs. A workshop was held with women Government managers to discuss training needs and the WLP NGO course was adapted to meet these needs. For example, case studies more relevant to Government working environments replaced material developed for civil society (NGO) managers. The need for support and follow up during and after training was recognised and a system of mentors, study tours and alumnae meetings were included. The three modules were delivered by VBNK one week at a time and separated by 6 to 8 weeks to enable women to put into practice a Learning Implementation Plan (LIP) following each module. The schedule of training and related events is shown in Table 1. The Leadership training has targeted women Managers from all 24 Government Ministries, but with a focus on MoWA staff at National and Provincial levels. 2 The term Women s Leadership programme WLP is used in this report to refer to the specific training product provided by VBNK, which PGE/MoWA contracted for Capacity Building women civil servant leaders 3 See Annex 7.5 for outline of content of each module. 9

Table 1 PGE training activities, 2003-2006 No Description Date Participants Trainer/ organizer WLP training: 11 No: 1 courses Group 1 Aug-Dec 03 Line ministries 18 VBNK Group 2 Jan-May 04 Line ministries VBNK 37 Group 3 Feb-May 04 Line ministries VBNK Group 4 Jul-Nov 04 Line ministries VBNK 46 Group 5 Jul-Dec 04 Line ministries VBNK Group 6 Jan-May 05 Line ministries VBNK 49 Group 7 Feb-May 05 Line ministries VBNK Group 8 Jan-May 06 MoWA PDWA VBNK 48 Group 9 Jan-May 06 MoWA PDWA VBNK Group 10 Jul-Nov 06 MOWA 17 VBNK Group 11 Jul-Nov 06 MoWA PDWA 30 VBNK Total participants 245 2 3 Mentor meeting: No reports VBNK 3 Study tours: PGE 21-26 July 7 1. Philippines on GAD 04 5 ministries & PGE 2. Kratie & Mondulkiri on activities of PDWA & commune councillors 3. Khandal & Prey Veng on EQUIP & women commune councillors 4 Pursat, Bat & BMC on HIV, De-mining, PDWA, in community development, DV & trafficking. 28 Feb-4 Mar 05 15-17 Jun 05 26-30 Dec 05 16 ministries & PGE 25 5 ministries & PGE 19 10 ministries & PGE 24 5 Takeo, Kampot & Kep on tourism & economy 27-29 Sep 06 8 ministries/pge 30 4 Alumnae meeting VBNK/MoWA 1 09-Dec-05 Line ministries 89 5 Workshop to establish WCS Association 01-Feb-06 Line Ministries 100 MoWA 6 English training 2004-2006 Line Ministries 158 Pannasastra University 7 WEP training 4 : VBNK Group 1: 3 days in Kg Som Aug-05 Line Ministries 18 Follow up training group 1: 2 days in PP Dec-05 Line Ministries 12 4 WEP is the pilot Women s Empowerment Programme described later. 10

The WLP training and related capacity building activities (study tours, alumnae meetings, mentoring) is one component only of a multi component programme of the PGE of MoWA to strengthen gender equity in Cambodia (see PGE planning chart, Annex 7.10). Of particular relevance to the WLP is the link to the support to Gender Mainstreaming (GM) in the Line Ministries of Government. Clearly, it is critical that women leaders be strengthened to play as significant a part as possible in GM action plan implementation, which is reaching an advanced stage in some Ministries with the development and implementation of Action Plans. The partnership between the WLP trained women (through alumnae meetings), the WLP training provider (the NGO VBNK) and PGE/MoWA has been used to seek ways to develop additional activities to meet the needs of women civil service leaders and managers. These have included English and computer training, study tours, alumnae meetings and a women s empowerment pilot training project. Additional capacity building activities have been discussed with VBNK, and in some cases, VBNK has been contracted to implement these components of the programme, for example: Alumnae meetings, mentor training and Women s Empowerment pilot training. 2.2 Contribution to achieving gender goals in Neary Ratanak, Rectangular Strategy, BPFA, CEDAW, NSDP, CMDGs 5 Without going into details here (see for example Final Evaluation of PGE 2004 and the response of MoWA - then MoWVA), the context for women s leadership training is as follows: Several policy and strategy statements commit Cambodia to the achievement of gender equity including the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA), the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) and Rectangular Strategy. CEDAW 6 sets targets for women s participation in government and society. Neary Ratanak II sets out standards and goals for the achievement of women s rights in Cambodia. Thus, WLP training and associated capacity building activities as implemented by the MoWA/PGE team with UNDP and other donor support 7 is one of the key initiatives in Cambodia to improve the situation of women leaders and managers in Government service in Cambodia. The programme, however, has direct support today only from one major donor (UNDP) and the Ministry of Women s Affairs. PGE capacity building achievements, including WLP training, must be assessed and evaluated in the context of the above-mentioned ambitious goals and targets while operating with a limited resource base financial and human. 5 CMDGs Cambodia Millennium Development Goals 6 CEDAW - Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women 7 UNDP is currently the sole direct donor. Earlier funds were also provided from the Netherlands Government and the Royal Government of Cambodia provides some core funds and contributions in kind. 11

3 Evaluation Method Study Questions In line with the Terms of Reference for this evaluation (Annex 7.1) we sought to answer the following principle questions: How relevant has WLP training and associated activities been to the needs of women managers, their employers (Ministries) and other stakeholders objectives with respect to women in Government? How effective is the whole programme for women managers in government what have they learned and how well are they able to put their skills into practice in their work places? What impact has the programme had on the situation and position of women in Government Ministries? Has the programme made efficient use of resources available compared to other options considered or possible? Can the programme and/or its benefits be sustained in the longer term? What lessons can be drawn from the programme? What recommendations can be provided to guide the programme teams (PGE/MoWA and the donors) in designing and implementing further phases of the programme? As required, a participative approach has been used for the evaluation. The evaluators have facilitated discussions with a wide range of stakeholders in the time available. Those participating have been encouraged to reflect on the programme, to provide their own views on its value and to draw out constructive suggestions for strengthening it. Review of reports and other documentation See Annex 7.7 for a list of reports and evaluations consulted. There is limited specific review and evaluation documentation on WLP training. WLP was reviewed, but not in detail, in 2004 in the Final Evaluation of the PGE Programme. WLP as a programme for NGOs as well as Government has also been reviewed in studies commissioned by VBNK 8. Focus groups, interview and questionnaire 8 See for example Moira O Leary and Meas Nee. Learning for Transformation. 2001. VBNK 12

In consultation with the PGE team and UNDP, it was agreed to focus on four Ministries and the Provincial Departments of the Ministry of Women s Affairs. In addition, focus groups with the alumnae from three sets of WLP courses early, middle and later groups were organised. The following focus groups were arranged: WLP trained women (4) The managers and colleagues of WLP trained women (4) Women managers who have not yet participated in WLP training (4) Women Directors and Deputy Directors of Provincial Departments of MoWA who have attended WLP courses (1) Women from each of three sets of WLP courses (3) See Annex 7.6 for numbers of participants from each Ministry. Focal points in Ministries were asked to select participants for each focus group. For the Manager and Colleague groups Ministries were asked to send men as well as women. Very few male managers attended, with the exception of the MAFF manager group which was all men (5). Each focus group discussion took approximately 2 hours. Check lists of questions were used as a guide in facilitating each focus group (Annex 7.9). Focus groups were conducted almost entirely in Khmer. Between 10 and 12 participants were requested for each focus group. Some focus groups were larger than this and some smaller. Where focus groups were large and/or where participation could be improved, participants were divided into smaller groups or even pairs to discuss and feed back on topics. Interview discussions were held with the following stakeholders: UNDP Gender Officer responsible for PGE UNDP HIV/AIDS Officer responsible for the Leadership Development Programme (LDP) with the National Aids Authority 9. Two staff from the training office of the Council for Administrative Reform (CAR) financed by World Bank and others VBNK Director and VBNK WLP Training team of 3 PGE Team manager, staff and TA The Director General of Gender Equality and Economic Development, MoWA NAA LDP Focal Person 9 The evaluation team were familiar with some aspects of LDP from previous assignments for NAA/UNDP. 13

Human-Earth Development Center (HEDC) Service for Education Employment and Development (SEED) After the first two trial focus groups (with MoWA staff) and meetings with PGE staff a questionnaire was prepared and sent to every woman who has participated in the WLP training (Annex 7.9 in Khmer). A few women had left Government service and were not located, 97 completed questionnaires were returned from the total of 245 trained women, a 40% return rate. Analysis, report, feedback and dissemination This report can only draw on a small proportion of the statements and comments made by participants in focus groups and questionnaires. We have analysed and presented findings against the principle questions. We have used information and data from the literature, focus groups, interviews and questionnaires. Where meaningful, we have used quantitative data from questionnaire answers to indicate the proportion of participants holding views on subjects. Caution is needed in valuing the quantitative presentations in charts as these are from 97 women, all of whom participated in the WLP training, and who chose to return questionnaires a measure of their interest, perhaps, in the programme. Other participants may hold different opinions. The main findings and recommendations were presented to the MoWA/PGE staff and representatives of UNDP at a feedback meeting before drafting this report. There were few surprises to this group and useful confirmation was given that the evaluation has found evidence to support the recommendations made. The report focuses on lessons and recommendations for the future of support to women leaders and managers, with limited emphasis on the detailed implementation of the programme. Some changes in the programme have been made in response to feedback from trained women at alumnae and other meetings. Course evaluations provided by each participant have also been used to adjust the programme. The programme has not been particularly well documented through reports and reviews, although there has been good, hands on monitoring and management. It is therefore more useful and constructive, we believe, in the time available, to take a forward looking approach, based on lessons learned and the evolving situation for women in the civil service. The scope of this evaluation has been limited by time constraints and limits to the numbers of stakeholders met in focus groups and interviews. This study focused mainly on four Ministries, though one woman from almost all the other 20 Ministries were included in focus groups. There will be a number women who have benefitted from the WLP training whose stories we have not heard. However, over 50% of all those trained attended focus groups and we have recorded examples of successes alongside more general comments and impressions of the training gained from focus groups. 14

Additional information from the 97 questionnaires returned from across all Ministries has also been used. The sections that follow present Findings, Recommendations, Conclusions and Annexes giving main data and information sources. The report starts with an Executive Summary and Key Recommendations that provide a stand alone summary of the Evaluation. 4 Findings 4.1 Relevance 4.1.1 Contribution to Gender equality and gender mainstreaming Training women managers in government and providing support to the application of their increased knowledge can heighten the possibility for women to play a part in achieving gender mainstreaming (GM) objectives, and, so reaching gender targets such as those in the CMDGs and CEDAW. However, it is clear that while the programme is necessary and therefore relevant, it is not sufficient in itself to make a significant impact on gender equity across the nation. Many more, and larger, investments of effort and commitment are required just to provide the space for WLP trained women to perform to their capacities. This has been repeatedly stated by almost all women we have interviewed trained and untrained. 4.1.2 Needs of women managers Discussion in focus groups with WLP trained women and those not so far trained from the four Ministries studied revealed that many women feel: they are not given adequate opportunities to participate in meaningful and rewarding work in their departments, especially they are excluded from projects financed by donors, for which there are opportunities to earn money in addition to their (low) salaries through travel, per diem and incentive payments, they are too frequently excluded from participation in study tours and training, sometimes being told that their English is inadequate, they are passed over for promotion for no good reason, even when it is clear that they have skills and experience above those of men given promotion. Box 1. Box 1 Gender discrimination and nepotism In one case, women claimed that a senior position for which there is at least one eligible woman is being held vacant for the son of a senior officer when the son has completed his undergraduate studies. 15

Women described the WLP course as giving them confidence, understanding of management and leadership roles, tools to use as managers and the capacity to negotiate with their peers and managers. They express frustration that it is often hard or impossible to implement much of their training from WLP due to poor working culture and lack of support from their managers. Steps built into WLP such as mentoring and Learning Implementation Plans have been only of limited value (see later on mentoring). The course is good, but it is not applicable, we have no opportunity to apply new skills some trained women state. Some of the constraints women feel to implementing their training are expressed in the following comments made in the questionnaire survey (Box 2): Box 2 Women s comments on working environment - Office Chief is a man. He does not understand gender & does not believe in women s capacity. - Find way to increase salary for women staff. - Should include men managers in training because they always ignore the rights of women. - Men managers should understand what women managers have learned so that women & men managers can understand & work together better. Thus, both women trained and those not so far trained, feel that the WLP course has limited value without improvements to the support given them by their seniors both men and women. Even in MoWA, where the proportion of women trained is highest, women feel that without attention to the leadership training needs of their seniors of both sexes, the value of their own training remains limited. The most common request from women attending focus groups with respect to training provision is that WLP or similar courses be extended to their managers. As well as the general comments on their work environment, above, made by most women, a few women were able to give examples of support given to them following training, for example, Box 3 Box 3 Line Ministry manager delegates work and is given opportunity to use skills learned: After WPL training, I have worked more effectively i.e. I get work done faster through skills to delegate tasks to others. My supervisor has given me a new opportunity to work with a few external institutions. This is enabling me to apply another new skill gained from WLP external relationship skill. 16

In our questionnaire to all women who attended WLP training we listed a number of training areas and asked that these be scored by importance to women managers. Chart 1 shows the priority women gave to these subjects. A very few additional subjects were also suggested, but these are largely included in those listed and scored. Level of priority women give to training needs Women giving priority scores 1 to 5 (any lower scores in 5) 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Top Priority 2nd Priority 3rd Priority 4th Priority 5th Priority Proposal writing English Interpersonal skill M & E Report writing Team work D & D Confronting power Computer Anti-corruption Range of subjects (from focus groups) Chart 1 While proposal writing was given the highest overall scoring, English training received the largest number of Top Priority scores. It may also be that some of the high scores given to Proposal Writing reflect the need to develop English as a useful tool in daily work of women leaders/managers for communication, searching information, reporting etc. It is clear, then, that self empowerment, leadership, project management, plus English, are the expressed needs of WLP trained women managers. 4.1.3 Needs of Government Ministries and Departments The Managers and peers of women trained in the four Ministries studied identified leadership, management, project management and English as the key training needs for women to be able to: function effectively in their positions, be considered for promotion, participate in donor funded project work and be eligible to receive scholarships for further education (Bachelor and Masters Degree courses) and technical training. 17

Other subjects mentioned were administrative skills and computing skills. Some Ministries where Gender Mainstreaming Action plans have been developed also mentioned that women are required to participate in GM and require training for this. In Gender Mainstreaming Action Plans there are specific targets for the advancement of women into decision making (management) positions. For example, by the year 2010, the Ministry of Rural Development has set this target The number of women officials in the Ministry increases to 15 percent. According to current figures (Annex 7.2) 13.5% of management positions from levels above Deputy Office Manager are occupied by women. There is only one woman currently in a post above Deputy Director (Deputy Director General) while 35 men occupy all the other posts from Director to Minister. It will not be difficult to reach the 15% target, but to achieve successful and meaningful participation of women in decision making it will be necessary to set more specific targets for women to achieve management positions at levels higher than the lower office manager posts occupied by the majority at present. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry GM Action Plan sets different targets. It aims for 38 women to be attending advanced studies (20 in Bsc (sic), 15 in MSc and 3 in PhD). This target, when met, has the potential to enable women secure higher level management posts through qualifications and merit. The target is a more useful one to use to ensure that women are promoted to decision making positions and have the capacity to perform effectively. Thus the message coming from the Ministry staff and their plans is for more women to receive management, leadership AND English training if targets are to be met. The WLP and English programmes are making significant contributions therefore to the achievements of these targets by increasing the numbers of women who can meet entry requirements for higher level training, which frequently require English language competency. In MAFF there is now English training available specifically for women (based in the Agronomy Department but more widely accessible) in addition to the PGE English training provided only for women who have attended WLP training. This is a significant achievement attributable to the focus MAFF is taking on mainstreaming gender with the support of MoWA and others. It was stated at focus groups with women who have not yet been trained that some trained managers return to their work places and use their improved skills (increased self-confidence, for example) to exercise the power of their positions. This is a negative effect of Capacity Building if power management rather than a more consultative and participative management style is chosen by trained women. This points to the need for the follow up of trainees after return to their workplaces and effective support and monitoring by their managers, who must themselves be 18

committed to good management practices. Leaders need training in managing without power one focus group agreed. 4.1.4 Capacity building in MoWA In 2004 the Evaluators of PGE described the contribution of WLP VBNK training for MoWA staff as positive, but noted that training all staff of MoWA may be difficult to achieve (see Box 4). By now a large proportion of middle managers, and furthermore, all Directors and Deputy Directors of 24 Provincial Departments of Women s Affairs have attended WLP courses. What is still to be achieved is the leadership training of all but a very small number of the more senior managers of MoWA. Therefore there are still difficulties for those trained to gain sufficient understanding and support from their (un)trained managers. This was identified in the 2004 PGE evaluation (Box 4). Box 4 From Final Evaluation PGE 2004. The leadership and management training for personnel of the ministry carried out by VBNK has been particularly successful in two respects. First, it successfully combined coursework with practical application. Participants were able to come back to work after each module and apply what they had learned and they were required to report on their ability to apply the concepts. This meant that the lessons were retained. Second, it has created a cohort within the ministry of alumnae who are in regular contact with each other across departments and able to share experiences and ideas. It is also reported, however, that some of the lessons learned could not be applied because senior managers within the ministry had either not been exposed to the training or were unable/unwilling to apply it to their work. In the Cambodian context, the lack of familiarity with management principles among senior managers represents a major difficulty. Moreover, it might not be possible, due to time constraints, to achieve ministry-wide training in such a concentrated way as was achieved under the VBNK program. Thus while most of the WLP training is relevant to the needs of most middle managers, this is not yet the case for the most senior managers of MoWA because they lack the time to participate fully in three weeks of training, even delivered as it is over several months. We were told by senior staff in MoWA that directives and support to participate in training from the highest (Ministerial) level is needed if senior managers are to attend training. (see also under Effectiveness - Targeting). 19

4.2 Effectiveness 4.2.1 Coverage all Ministries Chart 2 provides the statistics for the national level staff of four Ministries we engaged with for this evaluation, and one additional Ministry Ministry of Information. (The data for each Ministry are given in Annex 7.2): % Men, Women managers - trained and untrained by WLP MoWA MAFF Min Rural Dev. Min Information Men Women untrained Women trained Min of Commerce 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Chart 2 The proportion of women managers in MoWA (87%) and the proportion trained in the WLP far exceeds that in the other Ministries studied (40%). While the total numbers of managers in the different Ministries varies greatly, with the exception of MoWA, the proportions of women trained in the WLP is low. In our sample of four Ministries between 8% and 27% of women managers have been trained (Annex 7.2 and Chart 3). Participants in all focus groups emphasized the need to increase the numbers trained. Strong recommendations were made by many in focus groups that the small core of WLP trained women be assisted to become a nucleus of trainers within their Ministry so that more women (and in some cases men) can be trained (See Recommendations). At Provincial level, only MoWA managers have so far attended WLP training. There are very few women managers in the Provincial Departments of most other Ministries and none of them have been WLP trained. MoWA Provincial Department Directors and Deputy Directors have attended WLP. As these are the most senior staff at Provincial level this means 100% of Provincial senior managers across 24 Provinces have attended WLP. 20

Numbers of men and women managers and women trained in WLP 700 600 Number of managers all levels 500 400 300 200 Total Men Women Women Trained 100 0 MoWA MoRD MAFF MoInfo MoCom Ministry Chart 3 We have not been able to assess the effectiveness and impact of the training received by MoWA Provincial managers in detail as all courses for them took place in 2006. It can be expected that training such a high proportion of Provincial women managers will strengthen MoWA programmes in the Provinces, several of which are managed as partnerships with other Provincial Departments, Commune Councils and NGOs. 4.2.2 Targeting participation of high level women managers In 2004 the PGE Evaluation observed: the strategy (WLP) has not yet touched the highest leadership of ministries. The short-term impact on policy is therefore likely to be minimal. For a more effective impact, it is essential that the male leadership of ministries is included in the process. From the records provided, of 23 women in MoWA of Deputy Director General grade and above, three have attended WLP training. For group B and C, five senior women, three from MoWA and one each from another two Ministries attended module one of the course but did not have time to attend the second and third modules. The course is not offered to male managers. Many WLP trained women told us that men need training in leadership, management and gender. 21

Reasons suggested by women in most focus groups for the non-attendance of high level women in WLP courses and ways to improve the situation offered include: Course is too long and intensive for high level women to be away from their posts. Solutions: The course could be made part time say half days instead of full days and shortened. Trainers are not of high enough status to meet expectations of high level Ministry staff. Solutions: At least some trainers need to be senior people. Arrange courses specifically for senior staff. High level women are not permitted by their managers to attend course such as WLP. Solution: Convince Ministers of the importance of WLP Training and get Their Excellencies to instruct their high-level officers to attend training. Training for men managers is not part of the mandate of the WLP programme, and probably that should not be changed as there are still many women who should be trained. Improving male officers management and leadership skills and their attitudes towards female colleagues should be made the responsibility of individual Ministries and programmes such as that of the Council for Administrative Reform (CAR). The PGE and MoWA are supporting this imperative through other elements of the PGE programme, including support to Gender Mainstreaming Action Plans and their implementation. 4.2.3 Course content of WLP WLP content was developed in 1998 to meet the need of women managers in the NGO community. This WLP curriculum, Table 2, was used to train women government leaders and managers of different levels (under secretary of state, deputy director general, director, deputy director, office chief, deputy office chief level and provincial level) without significant changes in content but with some changes in the case studies used. All participants acknowledged that WLP is a good course. It improved their capacity on leadership and management and strengthened their self confidence, but the application of some subjects, they state, is limited and depends on their positions and the working system. Women told us that the course content should be developed to help them work in the government system. It should more closely meet the needs of women leaders and managers of different levels. The curriculum, Table 2, was shown to all trained women focus group participants. They were invited to prioritise the sessions by relevance and importance to their work. Some women had difficulty remembering details of the course and it has not been possible to draw a fully quantified assessment of their priorities. In answer to the question What are the 3 most important subjects of the WLP the majority of trained women 22

identified sessions that improved their practical skills in: leadership, negotiation, presentation, exercising responsibility, delegating work, working as a team decision making Few, if any, women selected as of high important the more conceptual sessions on Context, Motivation (Module 1); Institutional Management and Design, Weber s Bureaucracy, and Vision and Big Picture sessions (module3). We may deduce from this and other comments that women managers are most interested in the skills they can use in their specific working environments. Most appear to see limited opportunities to change the institutional working environment, or to influence the vision and objectives of their departments. Exercise for WLP training participants 23

Table 2 Module 1 Core Management Skills Setting the context Gender Development and Empowerment I am a Manager self image, Motivation and personal Development Roles and Responsibilities of the Manager Leadership Decision Making Management Styles Presentation Skills1 Planning a Presentation Module 2 Institutional Management Skills Introduction to Institutional Management skills Weber s Bureaucracy Institutional Design Lines of Authority and Communication Power and Influence in Context Position, Perception and Self Image Allocation of Work Delegation Processes Presentation Skills ll - Delivering a presentation - Presenting yourself in order to consolidate your position in the institution Module 3 Developing Professional Relationships Introduction to Influencing Skills Influencing Skills Influencing Skills Practice Finding Common Ground Negotiation Developing External Relations Presentation Skills lll Presenting yourself and your arguments externally Who s Vision? Consultation and Fair Process The Big Picture the Role of Women Managers as a Force for Change in Cambodia The sessions most women mentioned as important are highlighted in bold in Table 2. While one women stated: Module 1 encourages women to be involved in decision making four women said Module 3 is not applicable at my office and another that Module 2 is not applicable, in practice, institutions have different structure & work delegations. See Annex 7.3 for further comments received in the questionnaire sent to all WLP trained women. 4.2.4 English and computer training As has been described under Relevance, the priority needs of women are being met through the combined provision of WLP training and English classes. Computer skill training was offered to women WLP trainees alongside English training. Both were provided by Pannasastra University of Cambodia. Few, if any, women are currently attending computer training yet some women managers feel the lack of computer skills is holding back their development as managers as well as limiting their promotion prospects. (Other women say there are few computers in their departments so such skills are less necessary). While computing skills are a technical area, like English, their 24

development is a key area for women in some work places where promotion depends on computer literacy as well as language proficiency. This diversity of needs points to the necessity for more detailed needs assessment and for targeting leadership and other training to meet the specific needs of women in different Ministries, departments and positions. The effectiveness of English classes is generally high. Women are keen to attend and do their best to avoid absences. 17 women made comments similar to this: English is a very important tool for women managers to increase their participation in workshop/study tours/training abroad, information research, communicate with foreign partners, receiving new skills. How well have English classes met your needs? Difficulties women have with English classes include: Number of women 40 non attendance can 35 30 lead to exclusion even 25 when absences have 20 been unavoidable 15 10 (field work or family 5 problems), 0 Highest High Medium Low Not some teachers are attended young and weak at teaching, especially Chart 4 grammar women suggest that an experienced Khmer teacher should be included to teach grammar, some older women say the pace of teaching is too fast for them and they need more support and help to keep up with the classes, which are better suited to younger students, they say, if they give critical feedback on their English course, some women claim that this is communicated to the teachers, who may then give them a hard time. The former PGE Adviser says that most English students are conscientious about informing staff about absences, and only in extreme circumstances are students excluded. While the above criticisms were collected in focus groups, our questionnaire yielded a high level of satisfaction from the majority of those who are participating in English classes (Chart 4). We also asked if women felt there were alternatives to attending classes at a private school instead of the Pannasastra University. In the questionnaire 90 women provided answers (Error! Reference source not found.). The majority prefer to continue to attend an outside school, while a significant 25

number prefer that an external teacher be recruited to give classes within their Ministry. Method preferred for English classes Reasons for this latter Internal teacher at Ministry External teacher at Ministry view included the possibility to tailor classes more closely to their needs and timetable. At private school Several women, mainly those outside the PGE 0 10 20 30 40 50 English training (which is Number of women offered only to those attending WLP), are Chart 5 paying for private English tuition. Further comments and suggestions from the 97 WLP trained women who attend English classes organised by PGE are at Annex 7.3. 4.2.5 Course delivery and organisation Most women trained are happy with the WLP course and the quality of the trainers and training. During FGDs and debriefing meetings, some women trained mentioned that trainers are young and have no experience of leadership and management in the government system. We asked in the questionnaire what would be their preferred approach to training (in subjects other than English). We asked whether trainers should private institutions; whether they preferred to be trained individually or as part of a group; and the preferred length of course. The results are summarized in Chart 6. About twice as many women prefer training be from NGOs than from private or commercial company providers. An overwhelming proportion of women prefer to be trained in groups than to receive individual training. This is consistent with their views expressed in focus groups on the ineffectiveness of much mentoring support. This conflicts with the high value placed on mentoring by the majority of women who completed questionnaires. See Mentoring section. In questionnaires women favour short, medium and longer course in approximately equal numbers. However, in focus groups most women said the course (3 one week modules) is too long, and several did not attend all 3 modules of their course. 26

Preferred training approaches and times - NOT English 80 70 60 Numbers of women 50 40 30 20 10 0 NGO Private school Individual Group > 30 days 5-30 days 1-5 days Trainer Trainee Period Chart 6 Many women told us that they want more women in their Ministries to have WLP style training. Several said that those already trained had the knowledge to pass on to other women and to men as well. What they would need, they say, is some training as trainers (ToT) and support from specialists, at least to assist and monitor their work for an initial period. Thus, there is strong support in the Ministries we focused on to decentralize WLP. (See Recommendations). Most women would prefer to be provided with per diems or other payments to cover the costs of their lunches. They point out that while they are attending training they may miss opportunities to receive incentives or per diems for their work field visits etc. If they are given money for their lunches they can use this to cover the costs of child care and to put fuel in their motos 10. Clearly there is an expectation among civil servants that attending training, study tours etc. should be an opportunity to supplement their low salaries. 4.2.6 Empowerment and transformation As has been mentioned under Relevance, women not so far trained express the concern that some women return from WLP only to exercise the power of their position more strongly. Some staff become proud. This suggests that such women managers have been empowered. They are more self 10 Motos = motorcycles common and popular means of transport. 27

confident and able. What may not have been achieved is their transformation from perpetuating the hierarchical management culture and styles developed in the workplace. (Transformation is understood to be achieved when people change their attitudes and behaviour in positive and sustained ways). Such transformation would include the adoption of more participative and consultative Management styles. These alternatives are explored in Module One of the WLP course which compares Systems and Power Management with Peer and Team Management. Successful transformation will lead to trained managers identifying appropriate styles to adopt for different leadership and management situations. Evidence of transformation was provided by some peers of trained managers interviewed, who reported that women had become more aware of the needs of their staff and colleagues, took care to assess staff capacities, delegated work effectively and coached and supported staff in undertaking their work. This shows that WLP training can be effective for women if they work in a positive working environment and culture, Box 5. Box 5 MoWA manager empowered: I attended WLP when I was a Department Deputy Director. The WLP course provided me a good background of management and more selfconfidence. After WLP, I often request meetings with the Minister or Director General to discuss issues related to my department. Before this course, I was afraid to ask for a meeting with them. I only waited for their demands and orders. Moreover, I have applied some skills gained from WLP i.e. I delegate work, encourage team working, negotiation and communication. I have distributed work to my staff in a more effective way and involved them in some decision-making. An interesting comparison is provided by the UNDP Leadership Development Programme for HIV/AIDS 11 which has provided training to a wide cross section of women and men inside and outside of Government. The methodologies for WLP and LDP differ greatly, the diversity and large numbers of participants brought together in LDP may well be a factor in achieving transformation, in addition to empowerment. There are greater opportunities, with large numbers, to share styles and experience from a wide range of work and life environments when Government staffs are mixed with people working in non-government, private sector and community organisations. LDP also has encouraged its most outstanding ex trainees (graduates) to join their next courses as facilitators. Through this, the 11 LDP is UNDP supported and was discussed with the UNDP HIV/AIDS Programme Officer. In addition the evaluators have met several LDP participants in other studies and indeed have noted evidence of transformation and enhanced motivation. 28

capacity of some participants has been further improved. At a further stage these selected graduates have been made resource persons for the LDP courses. There are lessons from LDP for the planning and organisation of future training programmes for civil servants. 4.2.7 Women s Empowerment Programme (WEP) In addition to WLP, the PGE commissioned VBNK to pilot a Women s Empowerment Programme (WEP). The programme is used successfully with VBNK NGO staff. In contrast, the PGE WEP experience met with mixed results. A few of the Government managers who attended the trial have given positive feedback. The majority, though, have been quite critical of the pilot course. In summary, participants appear to have had difficulty identifying with the open structure of the programme which aims to encourage women to draw on their own experiences and feelings of power or powerlessness and to discuss and develop supportive ways to build their confidence. Furthermore they were unhappy with the logistical, travel, accommodation and subsistence arrangements. For their part, the Course organizers and facilitators expressed considerable unhappiness with the behaviour of participants. Women managers interviewed have expressed the need for more empowerment and transformation courses. To be more successful the WEP course would need to learn from and build on the 11 WLP courses with adjustments to meet the needs of Government staff, whose needs differ from those of NGO staff. Empowerment and transformation are key starting points for women (and men) if they are to adopt positive leadership roles. Any future course of this kind need to be planned in consultation with participants to assess their needs, course purpose and content, the appropriate style of training including venue, length and logistics. 4.2.8 Visibility of women leaders A measure of the effectiveness of leadership training should be the degree to which the programme is helping to raise the visibility and recognition of women as managers. In turn this may be measured by the number of women promoted following return from training. 0f 37 women trained 14 have been promoted, whereas women in MoRD claim that none of them was promoted as a result of attending WLP. WLP training certainly is visible to women in Ministries, even though small proportions of women have so far attended. Most women interviewed who have not attended are aware of the programme and wish to participate in it. Few male managers came to the focus groups for managers of trained women (except for one Ministry, with a strong programme on mainstreaming gender from which 5 men attended and no women) so it is difficult to consider that the predominately male managers of most Ministries studied 29

(other than MoWA and MAFF) are aware of and interested in WLP training and its effectiveness. In one Ministry 17 women attended a focus group for those who have not so far had WLP training (we had requested only 12 for the group). Seven of the 17 said they had had no training at all in the past three years. They claimed that the same few people are sent for training and given other opportunities repeatedly. Some had had gender training at MoWA and they were accompanied by male staff, but these male staff, women said, are men in the corner - men who have no authority or power. Senior men of the same Ministry have not been gender trained. Seven of the 17 women study English at their own expense and a further seven study other subjects, also privately. They say this is to increase their chances of seeking better employment outside Government. Twelve of the 17 have been promoted in the last year, although they have not attended WLP training. They believe this is because the Council of Ministers instructed that female Ministry staff should be promoted. Two of the 17 were promoted from Deputy Office Chief to Deputy Department Director a significant promotion across two levels. The delegation of work for these women is claimed to be unfair. Seven out of 17 have no work assigned to them and spend most of their time idle in the office or at home. Four out of 17 had no project work to do at all during 2006. The women stated that this situation could be improved if donors required, as a condition, a proportion of staff assigned to project teams to be women. The effectiveness of the PGE capacity building programme in raising the visibility of women in Ministries appears limited by the small number of women who have so far participated in the WLP training, and the lack of participation of male senior managers in gender training, in Is mentor support useful? some Ministries. Where men have been gender trained there are apparent improvements to recognizing the value of women and their needs. 4.2.9 Mentoring 10 The trainers at VBNK estimate 5 0 that between 20 and 40 percent Very Helpful of women trainees get strong helpful support from their mentors. In Focus groups many women claim Chart 7 that their mentors are too busy or not committed to providing them the support they need. Number of women Mentors are chosen by the trainees and they should have attended a day or half day of training provided by the VBNK WLP trainers. In fact only 3 35 30 25 20 15 Quite helpful Less helpful No mentor 30

meetings of mentors were held over the 11 courses and there are apparently no attendance records or reports of these. Mentors chosen are mostly high level managers who tend to be reluctant to attend trainings given by NGOs. Mentoring at its best is can work well, but too many women are not getting the support they need to implement what they have learned, and, specifically, the Learning Improvement Plan they have designed in the WLP course. In several focus groups women proposed that in place of mentoring (which is a concept not well understood in Cambodian Government service) women could support each other by forming groups, within and sometimes across Ministries and departments. The group members would plan and implement LIPs together and provide each other with support. In our questionnaire we asked if mentor support had been useful. The answers (Chart 7) are more encouraging than the views expressed in focus groups and the estimates provided by VBNK trainers. Mentoring should therefore not be dispensed with altogether, but supplemented with other means for mutual support as above. 4.2.10 Alumnae Meetings Alumnae meetings held for trained women as part of the WLP are considered useful or important by a majority of WLP trained women. However, about 10 per cent of those replying to our questionnaire have apparently not attended. (Chart 8). Few additional comments have been made on Alumnae meetings, Annex 7.3, but there are many comments on the proposal to Number of women How useful/important are alumni meetings? establish a Women s Civil Servants Association (WSCA). The WCSA was first presented as an idea at a well attended WLP Alumnae meeting at the Phnom Penh hotel on 9 th December 2005 and can be considered a major result of the PGE programme as it has brought women together. See commendation from Her Excellency, Ing Khantha Phavi, Minister for Women s Affairs (Annex 7.4) on WLP and the WCSA. See also under Impact section, WCSA, below, for further analysis of the initiative. 4.2.11 Study tours Study tours have been valued by women who have participated in them. PGE has taken care to invite participants with as little bias as possible, though this is not always possible as Managers in Ministries have to have the final say on attendance. 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Very important Important Useful Chart 8 Not useful Not invited/attend ed 31

Although we have asked for feedback and opinions on study tours associated with PGE. WLP, trained women have Are study tours useful? not always made the connection between the specific study tours 45 they have participated in and the 40 35 WLP training they attended. It does 30 25 appear, though, that women 20 15 managers regard study tours as an 10 5 important means to develop their 0 understanding of the lives of Cambodians they serve, especially in rural areas. They also believe that overseas study tours are of value, though it is not clear what they expect to learn from these. Chart 9 As Chart 9 from replies in 97 returned questionnaires shows, no one considers study tours to be of no value. A significant number were either not offered or did not go on study tours (11/97 11%). In fact four study tours in Cambodia were organised and 1 abroad. See Annex 7.3 for comments and suggestions on study tours by WLP trained women. Number of women Very useful Useful Quite useful Not useful Not invited/attended PGE Study Tour - Handicrafts 32

4.3 Impact 4.3.1 Increased confidence and capacity and application of new skills Many women claim gains in confidence, capacity to negotiate and influence and improved ability to delegate tasks and responsibilities (See Annex 7.3). Most of the consulted WLP trainees mentioned that they have better selfconfidence. They are able to express their opinions in meetings without fear or preparation in advance. At Provincial department level a significant example of what can be achieved by WLP trained women is provided by a Provincial manager able to negotiate successfully with an external agency, Box 6. Box 6 A Provincial Department of Women s Affairs Manager -application of negotiation skill: The WLP course improved my negotiation skill. I have practiced this negotiation skill in my work: I successfully negotiated with ILO/IPEC to integrate gender and child labor in the ILO/IPEC project in Kampong Cham province, which is being implemented in 2006-2007 with workers in rubber plantations. Proxy indicators such as promotion of women after training and the increased networking of women resulting from alumnae meetings and study tours provide some measure of the impact of the programme. However, the lack of ongoing monitoring and reporting against established baselines and using indicators over the period of the programme makes it difficult to provide precise evaluation of impact. Furthermore, the programme covers 24 Ministries with wide variations in their cultures and commitment to supporting women as leaders. As described in Neary Ratanak, MoWA has the mandate to work to promote and advocate for gender equality. MoWA does this by increasing gender training to both women and men. The WLP training and associated capacity building activities focus specifically on women. The impact of WLP will be limited until sufficient change takes place in the working environment. The dilemma for MoWA (and its supporters and donors) is how much priority can be given to financing training for men as well as women to change work place culture, which would mean cutting back on training for women. By focusing on direct support to women capacity building and encouraging Ministries to take forward gender training, MoWA achieves balance in meeting its mandate. See recommendations. On the negative side, as has been noted, several focus group participants of women not so far trained in WLP claim some women who return from training use their increased confidence to exercise hierarchical power instead of introducing improved consultative management and team working. It will 33

continue to be difficult to gauge the impact of capacity building such as WLP courses until the culture in many Ministries changes through improved gender awareness and better staff development of men (and women) who occupy decision making positions. The sample of women in focus groups and who answered questionnaires did not include some success stories mentioned to us by PGE staff. For example, women in two Ministries not included in our survey, we understand, have used the skills they applied to great effect. The PGE Programme Director has also attested to the value of her training, (see section 4.2.6 Empowerment and transformation, Box 5 and Box 7 below). She has found the skills provided in negotiation, leadership, management, etc very applicable to her role as a team manager. Box 7 MoWA manager improves working environment, influences strategy and gains promotion I have created a good teamwork environment in my department. I have often practiced negotiation skills internally and with other institutions e.g. Ministry of Planning and the Council of Ministers. I negotiated to integrate gender in the National Strategy Development Plan. In 2004, I was promoted to be a Department Director of MoWA. My department and other MoWA departments had annual work plans for the year of 2006. Before 2006, no department had annual work plans. Other women also confirmed that their ability to negotiate for resources for their work and their ability to speak out appropriately in meetings has improved significantly. They are clear in attributing this to their training (see Box 6, section 4.3.1 Increased confidence and capacity). 4.3.2 Fit of training needs to each Ministry s gender mainstreaming position Support to gender mainstreaming in Ministries has been an important component of the MoWA PGE over the past two years. This, along with support from the ADB and others in MAFF has helped to establish a Gender Working Group in that Ministry which has organised a ministry-wide workshop. This workshop has produced recommendations for achieving gender equity within MAFF. Departmental and overall Ministry policies on gender have also been developed. Several other Ministries have developed or are developing Gender Mainstreaming plans. The MoRD sets targets to Increase the number of women officials and build their capacity through increasing their participation in local and international training. Gender mainstreaming has been further helped by the availability of WLP trained women in Ministries. Trained women have participated in and influenced these strategies by increasing the capacity of women to participate in the implementation of the action plans. There are limits, though, to this impact, as the numbers of women trained in each Ministry is 34

small (typically 5 to 7 per Ministry) and the higher-level women managers, where they exist, have participated in small numbers only. See section 4.2.1 Coverage all Ministries for proportions of women trained and women managers in five Ministries. The lack of support from managers and colleagues within their departments and Ministries as reported by many trained women to implement what they have learned also limits the impact of the WLP trained women on Ministry gender equity and mainstreaming plan implementation. 4.3.3 Promotion of women in Ministries Promotion of women while not a direct objective of the PGE capacity building course could be a useful proxy impact indicator. Other than for MoWA, the numbers who have attended WLP training so far are small, - between 6 and 9 women in the four Ministries for which we have figures. There have been some promotions and it is likely that WLP training will have impacted on decisions to promote. It should be noted that decisions on who attends training are sometimes taken arbitrarily, or even with favouritism. Many women told us that it is always the same people who are selected for courses therefore the same people may well be favoured for promotions 12. The political dimensions of civil service promotions influences promotion decisions greatly. Women are less likely than men to be actively engaged in party politics and so may not earn promotion in recognition of their contributions to the party. Women not affiliated to the leading party in a Ministry can have limited prospects of promotion. See Section 4.2.8 Visibility of women leaders. Further work is needed on indicator setting and base line measurement if impact in this area is to be assessed. See Monitoring and Evaluation recommendations. Attribution of promotion as a result of training in leadership will remain difficult to assert. 12 This perception may be in part the result of women attending WLP training in effect appearing to go to three courses as WLP is in three modules with several weeks between each. 35

4.3.4 Women Civil Servant s Association (WCSA) Do you support starting a Women's Civil Servants Association? Chart 10 Number of women 50 40 30 20 10 0 Strongly support Should create No idea No interest Should not create In discussions with PGE staff and other stakeholders, it is clear that the proposal to start a Women s Civil Society Association (WCSA) made at a WLP alumnae meeting in 2005 is considered a significant consequence, or impact, of the WLP training. A woman who attended a PGE organised study tour to the Philippines in 2004 first proposed the idea of a WCSA. Replies to our questionnaire, Chart 10, confirm that a large majority of WLP trained women who returned questionnaires (97) agree that a WCSA is important. In addition, this was the single subject that attracted most comment and the greatest number of suggestions in questionnaires. (Annex 7.3). Most women we met in the focus groups said they are not aware of the plan to introduce a national association for women (WCSA). This may be because the Association is still at a formative stage following first development of the idea at an Alumnae meeting in 2005. 4.4 Efficiency 4.4.1 Cost effectiveness of training compared to other providers The Efficiency of the WLP and associated activities (mentoring, study tours, English classes etc) can be assessed in relation to the costs of similar programmes. The WLP as implemented by VBNK was budgeted at the same rates as for training provided to a large number of civil society organisation and then discounted by VBNK for PGE. At the start of the programme (2004) the costs work out at $35.7 per trainee per day. On the basis of the contract for the courses provided in 2006 the cost was $34.38 per trainee per day 13. An 13 21 st April 2006 Contract Number: C1603-003 between VBNK and MoWA. Calculation includes 2 days for training of the mentors of the trainees as well as 2 x 15 = 30 days for two courses, 20 trainees per course 36

estimate given by Silaka at the time of identifying contractors for WLP for 2004 provides a similar figure of $36 per trainee per day. The duration of VBNK course is 15 days. A leadership course of Silaka is 5 days. The table at Annex 7.8 provides comparisons from a number of other programmes and training providers. The figures are estimates only and vary according to the number of participants. For the Leadership Development Programme (LDP) of NAA/UNDP a very large number of participants attend each course approximately 100 which keeps the cost per participant low despite the course being residential in Sihanoukville or similar high cost towns. Note there are differences in the materials provided, catering etc. Apart from the costs of the residential courses organised for the HIV/AIDS Leadership Development Programme costs are of similar levels. VBNK has provided its training towards the higher end of costs, but has not been the most expensive. 4.5 Sustainability 4.5.1 WLP Trained Women To achieve long-term sustainability of the gains made in the past three years, changes must be made to the environment and work culture of both MoWA and the other Ministries. The improvements in performance of WLP trained women can only be sustained if they are permitted to apply their training consistently in the work place. Most ex trainees identify the lack of support from their managers and peers as a major constraint. Should provide training course to some men managers so that they can support women managers more effectively than women are able to help women. The contribution of trained women to the implementation of Gender Mainstreaming (GM) action plans will be limited and not sustained if the hierarchical and gender discriminatory culture in many parts of Government are not addressed through more comprehensive gender training for male and female managers at all levels. 4.5.2 The WLP training course The sustainability of the courses is currently dependent mainly on just one donor, UNDP, and one training provider, VBNK. Diversification of funding sources from Government budgets and additional donors will be necessary to A) maintain the existing level of training to reach a more significant number of women working in Government, and B) for an extension of the training to the more senior women in Government, few of whom have so far participated in the WLP training. Consideration should also be given to including more training organisations in the programme to increase sustainability, as well as to increase the range of training options and approaches. In the Ministry of Education WLP trained women have helped to achieve cost effective and potentially sustainable training within the Ministry. (Box 8). 37

Box 8 Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) Followed up WLP by sharing leadership and management knowledge: MoEYS formed a team of 7 WLP trainees from three Ministries (Education, Rural Development and Interior) to conduct leadership training for MoEYS managers. They modified WLP contents and conducted 3 leadership trainings for department and office managers of MoEYS. Each training had 20-30 participants of both genders. 4.5.3 English training Without English many women will continue to be passed over for further training opportunities, for participation in study tours and for membership of teams implementing donor supported projects that require English language competence. The sustainability of the English training is subject to the same constraints as leadership and management training. Gender mainstreaming strategies recognise the need for English (and other) training and education for women. Sustainability will depend on budgets being made available to implement the capacity building elements of GM strategies. As noted, in at least one Ministry, with donor support, English training specifically for women has been organised. 4.5.4 Links to other training The World Bank funds management training in CAR (Council for Administrative Reform). The course implemented and planned for CAR are at three levels Young professionals, Management Development for Deputy Chiefs of Office to Director Generals and thirdly an Advanced Executive Programme for very high officials and parliamentarians (the third courses have not yet taken off). There is scope for the courses to meet the needs of women directly, although when MoWA was invited to send trainees they sent only male staff. Given the problems described women have implementing their learning from WLP training due to lack of support from their managers, male and female, (see above) any training that reaches those managers is valuable. Sustainability of what has been learned by women from the WLP is crucially dependent on increased numbers of well trained managers across the Ministries. There are numerous other training programmes for different groups of civil servants, commune councilors and officials, parliamentarians, candidates for commune and other elections etc. The sustainability of all these capacity building linkages can be improved by sharing experiences. We found PGE/WLP aware of some CB programmes, and actively engaged in others, but there is little evidence of the kind of joined up working that could stimulate the sharing of experiences and strengthening of each programme at the level of trainers and trainees. 38

PGE Study Tour 5 Recommendations 5.1.1 Introduction Our recommendations are organised under similar headings as the above Findings sections, with the addition of the following section on institutional issues. This is in contrast to the Summary recommendations at the start of this Report, which are divided between Strategic and Operational recommendations. The PGE Project Revisions signed between UNDP and MoWA includes ambitious output targets. Box 9. 39

Box 9 Expected Outputs: Partnership for Gender Equity Substantive project revision 9 May, 2006 (i) Strengthened leadership by women in civil service and elective bodies (ii) Gender sensitive budgeting introduced in selected number of Ministries and tools and mechanism developed to this purpose (iii) Long-term gender advocacy and communication strategy developed and communication and media campaign conducted (iv) Engendered sectoral plans in selected sectors The project is so far about 25% funded. Therefore, so far as possible we have tried to offer alternatives rather than additional actions and activities, recognising that resources are limited. Some of the recommendations, we believe, can increase the leverage of PGE to mobilise additional resources, and funds. For example, making links with other capacity building programmes and projects that have the potential to include specific training for women and leadership training for men too can help meet PGE objectives. Again, by decentralizing responsibility of women leadership training to Ministries the funding available for staff development (from Government and donor sources) within Ministries can be used to finance WLP type training and related activities. It is recognised that additional financial support may not accrue to MoWA and PGE directly and therefore may not meet the UNDP definitions for funding leverage. This should not detract from the importance of extending PGE - the Partnership for Gender Equity - to include as partners those able to contribute their resources indirectly. The partnership with VBNK has demonstrated that the needs of women civil servants are complex and vary from person to person and from position to position. Future PGE partnerships should continue to address the challenges of capacity building for women leaders and managers. Targets for increasing the range of partners should be set and their achievement recognised, whether or not the partners are financed by PGE and its donors, or contribute funds directly for PGE projects. Criteria for partnership must be contributing to the shared broad objective of improving the position of women in Government. An example is seen in MAFF, where English classes are now organised within the Ministry for women using Government priority funding and the funds of MAFF s main donors (the ADB). 5.2 Institutional 5.2.1 Longer term institutional position of PGE capacity building Appoint or delegate responsibility for the coordination and management of the leadership and management training project to a specific PGE staff member, and, when PGE phases out, to a MoWA officer. She may be 40

appropriately in the Women in Decision Making Office of the Gender Equality Department when this has sufficient capacity. Ensure this manager has appropriate skills and position to interact with Ministry HR Departments and Department heads in MoWA and other Ministries. Plan the integration of the leadership and management training project into MoWA and define the relationships between MoWA and Ministries, (see recommendation on the decentralisation of leadership and management training to Ministries). 5.2.2 Plan the future of capacity building beyond major donor support Recognising that UNDP and other donor support will phase out, identify key components that need to continue and plan with other Ministries how these components can be sustained financially and institutionally. (See recommendation on decentralisation.) Publicise that PGE and its projects and programmes are an integral part of MoWA, executed nationally. 5.3 Relevance 5.3.1 Targeting Build relations with HR departments of Ministries and gender committees in Ministries and Directors of Departments (or similar senior managers) so a plan of who should participate in future training is drawn up and used as the basis for inviting attendance in future leadership training courses. Relate this plan closely to the Gender Mainstreaming plans of each Ministry (where/when these exist). If resources for capacity building are limited, consider targeting Ministries where there are GM Action Plans and Gender committees and units to monitor their implementation. Use WLP to stimulate capacity to action GM plans. 5.3.2 Decentralise leadership training to selected Ministries Develop a pilot project with one or more selected Ministries able to take on training within the Ministry. Provide ToT courses to WLP trained Women so that they can be trainers of other women within their Ministry. Provide expertise to Ministry programmes to assure quality and standards and to develop competency of Ministry in house trainers. In this way, leadership training can be made more relevant to the working context of each Ministry and their Gender Mainstreaming Strategy. Visibility of training for women will increase and men may be drawn in (selectively) to participate in key subjects they need to understand their leadership and 41

support roles. Ministry teams can train Provincial women staff (where/when these exist with the implementation of the RGC Decentralisation and Deconcentration of governance programme, (currently there are very few women Officers in Provincial and District Department of Ministries other than MoWA). 5.3.3 Study Tours Discuss with Ministries ways to ensure appropriate women attend tours. Agree ways for tour participants to feedback experiences to other staff e.g. open feedback meetings. Design further study tours that are relevant to the work areas of participants. Discuss this with the proposed participants and their managers to agree appropriate study tours. Focus on in country study tours and use international study tours only for women leaders in a position to increase their understanding of different organizational cultures and to implement change. 5.4 Effectiveness 5.4.1 Training needs assessment PGE training officer and gender working group in line ministries to work with ministry HR and other departments to determine the specific training needs of women managers. Review availability of relevant training providers who could supplement and broaden the range of women leadership training options in addition to WLP of VBNK by developing TORs and inviting bids from providers. Develop/review the content of each course with prospective trainees to ensure its relevance to different levels of managers/leaders and to take account of the range of work in which they are engaged. Trainers to adapt course content to meet identified needs consistent with leadership strengthening and that can be put into practice within the institutional culture of the Ministry (or can help in achieving changes in the culture). 5.4.2 Develop mentoring and alternative support schemes Use lessons from mentoring experience to improve the understanding of the role and purpose of mentors. Develop and use criteria for the selection of mentors. Provide adequate training to mentors and monitor their effectiveness. Consider the use of a proportion of resources applied to mentoring to support small teams of trained women within (and across) Ministries to 42

form groups that plan LIPs, work together to implement these and provide each other with mutual advice and support. Review the recommendation made in the PGE Evaluation 14 that more support be given to the mentoring system (as this is working well only in a limited number of cases) and replace it with the above arrangement. 5.4.3 Target more senior women leaders Plan and implement a version of women s leadership training that meets the needs and availability of very senior women. Lobby Ministers in Ministries to direct their senior women staff to attend Leadership and Management courses. Identify high level instructors or organisations with capacity and status to train the highest level women leaders. Reconsider using Harvard or a similar international training institution or individual consultant of standing. As recommended in the Final Evaluation of PGE 2004, 15 o discuss again the high level programme planned by CAR/World Bank project and how this can be used to target senior women (Secretaries of State, Ministers, Under Secretaries etc), and to ensure gender issues are adequately included in the curriculum for both senior women and men, and o Work with Parliamentarians to build their leadership capacity, understanding of GM and WLP in legislation work and decisionmaking. o Support and coordinate implementation of the wide range of recommendations for policy change and action to achieve gender equity in Government. 5.4.4 Training for transformation PGE and its contracted trainers to share WLP experience with the implementers of the UNDP/NAA HIV/AIDS Leadership Development Programme to mutually gain ideas on how to achieve transformation in participative training courses in the specific context of the civil service in Cambodia. Discuss with CAR/WB training project ways to make the courses transformational in gender terms. 14 PARTNERSHIP FOR GENDER EQUITY 2001-2004. Terminal Evaluation report prepared by Melanie Beresford and Long Panhavuth. Doc ref 11 15 ibid 43

Use the reviews of the WEP course experience (in this report and by VBNK) to assess lessons and decide if, with modifications, it can assist in empowering and transforming women leaders in Government. 5.5 Efficiency and Sustainability 5.5.1 Diversify and enlarge training provision Invite bids from training providers for needed and appropriate courses. Identify and review the relevant courses available from other NGO and private sector training providers to develop a menu of courses on leadership, management and personal empowerment that can be offered to women leaders in Ministries. Trial and evaluate training products before recommending them for further adoption. Aim for long term and strategic commitment by advocating for a rights based approach to all support to women in the civil service, using International and National instruments to which the RGC has signed and committed itself to implement. (e.g. BPFA, CEDAW, NSDP, Rectangular Strategy etc.) 5.5.2 Monitor and evaluate new phases of WLP Use the analysis provided in studies on gender equity to establish baselines and develop relevant targets and indicators for each Ministry and link to trainee and course selection. Use Gender Mainstreaming Action Plans and the Gender Groups set up in Ministries to monitor and record progress with gender equity targets. PGE team and gender working group in line ministries to follow up trained women within Ministries to evaluate changes in performance and their participation in gender mainstreaming in their Ministries. Assist the Women Civil Servants Association develop the role of champion and monitor of the progress made by women civil servants. Target more senior women leaders and enlist their support in assessing, evaluating and promoting women as leaders. 5.5.3 Sustainability PGE and training providers share experience with LDP/NAA/UNDP. Provide ToT and decentralise leadership and management training as far and as quickly as possible from MoWA to Ministries. MoWA and its PGE partners training providers, Ministries etc. work to clear Terms of Reference with responsibilities defined for management and reporting 44

6 Conclusions The WLP training and its associated activities has developed a nucleus of trained women in all Ministries across the civil service of Cambodia. A significant number of women have been trained for the Ministry of Women s Affairs, and all senior managers in the Provincial Departments of the Ministry are now trained. The proportion of women trained remains small in all other Ministries. The proportion of women in higher-level decision-making positions in all but MoWA is very low, and very few of them have been trained in leadership. There are opportunities and challenges in the next phase of the PGE project leadership programme to reach women effectively with training and support. Support following training though mentoring, mutual support in alumnae groups, monitoring individual performance, study visits etc. are vital for progress to be sustained. More attention needs to be placed on training higher-level women and providing adequate English language training so that women can participate in technical and academic training. It is also essential to influence positively the understanding, attitude and culture in Government service to recognise women as full participants. Some challenges can be met within the framework of the PGE project, others require the participation and support of the most senior layers of Government in policy-making and implementation positions. There are signs of this commitment in some Ministries, through gender mainstreaming action plans. If resources for further phases of the PGE programme are limited greater impact may be achieved by focusing on those Ministries where gender mainstreaming is moving forward. From pilot examples with those Ministries, wider adoption of leadership training and support for empowerment and transformation can be encouraged so that more women can become equal and valued partners in the Government services. Finally, it is essential that all partners identified to implement the programme MoWA/PGE, training providers, participating Ministries, other stakeholders have clear roles and responsibilities and work to them. WLP - VBNK Training Session 45